Strongest Under The Heavens
Match-Ups "I'm excited!" Mina shouted as loud as she could, startling Kisara, Melissa, and Marin. The girls had just exited the hotel and were on their way down to the World Tournament ring to get their numbers for the matches. Marin stretched her arms out, yawning. "I wonder who I'm gonna fight...maybe I'll steam-roll through it again... This could be another walk in the park." Melissa's eyes darted around as she looked at everything and everyone that could quite possibly be a threat. "...Huh~ this place is less packed than before~ This could prove...interesting." Suspicious, she was. Kisara glanced around, not really taking note of anything. She was still hung up on what that Sanger guy said to her earlier. At the same time, she was plagued by constant migranes; a wierd thumping sound echoed over and over again in her brain- like glimpses of the past were coming back to her.... "...Eh?" Kisara winced; what she saw was....a mysterious, masked woman holding a blade in front of her- standing side to side with a soldier. ''"Jack, witness this. While guns are the norm for the soldiers of our time, it is irrefutably debatable that the sword is the noblest weapon of all." The moment that the soldier attempted to grab Kisara, the masked woman slit his throat with a katana; leaving no mess but a trail of blood which slithered upon the blade.'' That feeling of holding a blade...it was odd, but it felt like she had experienced it before. She ceased to witness visions, as she whispered in a low tone, "...Let's just go get a seat..." "We're not sitting!" Mina began to tug on Kisara's shoulders. "See that building over there with the stringy blonde man gesturing loudly. "We head in that room to meet up with the other competitors. Our match-ups will be decided there." Marin herself grabbed Mina, and began to run towards the room. "Oh, come on! We don't have much time~~!" Melissa laughed, "Oh they're a cute couple, don't you think..." she was smiling, though she followed the duo- as soon as others could not see, a smirk showed on her seemingly innocent face- she was certainly plotting something nasty. Kisara trailed after the other two (and Melissa), stumbling along the path. "...Just, what the heck did he mean?" puzzling questions indeed. As they entered the building, the four girls saw the five other competitors. So it really was a total of nine. And standing in that group of nine was Sanger, who, as expected, walked (or was he gliding?) over to Kisara. "Good morning, Kisara. I'm glad to see you look well, if a bit puzzled." Kisara seemed confused about the whole thing. They hadn't even interacted properly and he was being nice? To put it eloquently, "what the shit?" ..."Uh, hello, we've talked for two minutes?" "I'm very interested in you." Sanger replied, unabashed by such a proclamation. "I hope you do well." He said, placing a hand on her head and be bent down so that his head was next to her ear, and whispered this so only she could hear it. "Make it to the finals and I have something just for you." He then walked off and resumed his place in the line-up. Mina looked at Kisara, confused. "Um.....what just happened?" Kisara could only shake her head. "...Uh, not sure, actually." She wasn't too bright, actually. "I think he has something to do with me...or why do the people who are the most mysterious want a piece of me?" One of nature's mysteries. Melissa walked past Kisara nonchalantly, implying, "Maybe you're A-grade pedobait~ I mean, you have the underage-looking body for it..." She was trying to joke around here. "Everyone! Please gather around!" A blonde man in shades and a suit called out to the competitors. "Now that all nine of you have assembled, we're going to have you pick the necessary numbers for your matchups. But before this, let me tell you the rules: #If you fall out of the ring, you are automatically out of the match. If you are down for ten seconds, you lose. #No aiming for the eyes or groin. (The man flinched at this.) #No using weapons. #If you kill your opponent, you will forfeit the match and you will be arrested. Please remember that." Mina frowned. Had killing actually occured enough that the final rule wasn't common sense? "Alright! We will now draw numbers." He looked at a list of names. "Gunha Teishin! Please come forward and draw a number." A boy who didn't look much older than a teenager stepped forward, and reached into the box, drawing out the number 1." The monks added his name onto the bar. While doing this, the man in shades looked down at the list again. "Sanger Fair! Please come up and draw a number." Sanger walked over and placed his hand into the box. He was smiling as if he knew exactly what he was about to pull out. When he removed his hand, he drew a number 2. He walked back over to the line, and looked at Gunha. "So, Gunha was it? I suppose we'll meet on the battlefield." Gunha sighed. "...Uh, crap?" He wasn't sure what to think, other than he was about to get smashed into the ground. "Marin Sawash..." The man stumbled over this name. "Wait, the Marin Sawashiro!? The idol is competing in our tournament!?" Marin nodded and cheerily smiled, walking up to the announcer. "Of course~ And despite my reputation, it's quite easy to school each and every one of you." "Well, Ms. Sawahiro, please come up and take a number." The man asked, and Marin obliged, drawing a 6 out of the bundle. Writing her name on the board, the announcer called out the name "Mina Lestrange". Mina looked surprised, then she remembered, of course she'd have registered right after Marin, she never let her side. "Coming!" Mina called as she ran up and leafed through the box, drawing out a 9. So...she'd be one of the last to compete in the first round. "Melissa Browning, please draw a number!" Melissa followed this and put her hand into the box. Sanger's hand glowed softly yellow, and the number Melissa drew out was 8. "You'll be fighting Mintaka Lestrange in your first round battle." Melissa sighed. "Guess it can't be helped~" she sounded dissonantly cheerful; almost as if she were planning something. "Lisette Grenge!" The man called out and a girl with long, flowing, silver-blonde hair stepped up and drew a number. She drew number 3 and was marked onto the board. "Hammilton Weiss!" A man decked in traditional martial arts gi walked up, and leafed through the box, pulling out a 4. Like the others, he was marked onto the board. Mina yawned. "Getting sleepy..." She rested her head on Marin's shoulder. "Alfred Granger!" A man who really did not seem suited for a martial arts tournament, looking quite like a proper gentlement, stepped up, and, quicker than anyone else, drew his number, a 7. "And finally...Kisara Daikoku!" Kisara looked stunned, as she drew a number; it was five. Lucky five. "...Uh, what?" She looked straight at Marin. "...So I have to fight Marin? Oh, come on. That's not even fair." Marin seemed put off. "...D-Do I really have to? I mean I'd win so easily it wouldn't be funny." "And those are our match-ups! We'll see you each in the ring in just a few minutes!" The announcer called out. Sanger chuckled, appearing next to Kisara right out of nowhere. "This is so rich it has to be fattening. Already, you have the opportunity to crush a comrade under your bootheel." He placed a hand on Kisara's head in a very comforting sort of way. "Win, but don't have bitter feelings. I'll be rooting for you from the sidelines." He faded once again, his smile the last thing to leave. Kisara sighed, lamenting, "The heck are you talking about? It's not a good thing...harming an ally is one of the worst things to happen...Tch, what kind of a guy are you?" Marin looked worried as she saw Kisara was talking to herself. "...Uh, are you okay? I told you, don't talk to yourself in public..." "Maybe her opponent can take advantage of her delusions?" Mina suggested playfully. Marin elbowed Mina. "That's mean! I wouldn't do that, ever." Kisara growled at the two, "I'm not deaf, you know." "You're so cute when you're flustered." Mina grinned, ruffling her friend's hair. "But don't lose your composure, one of us has a tournament to win." Kisara scowled at this. "Tch, trust me, I won't..." she seemed rather miffed right now. Crossing her arms haughtily, Kisara began to stomp off. The First-Round Battles "ALRIGHT LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" The announcer called up into the stands, his voice booming and echoing with the microphone. "IT'S TIME TO BEGIN THE WORLD MARTIAL ARTS TOURNAMENT!" The crowd roared with excitement and the man walked out into the center of the ring. "WITH A RESPONSE LIKE THAT, HOW CAN WE KEEP YOU WAITING ANY LONGER? GUNHA TEISHIN! SANGER FAIR! STEP INTO THE RING!" Sanger glided from inside the building and out onto the center of the ring, smiling underneat his hood. Gunha scratched his head. "....Uh." He didn't seem too sure of himself at all. Though, he did hear a particularly loud voice screaming at him to win or else it'd steal his bed, so he was motivated. "...Hi." Those were the only words that Gunha could muster as he stood into the ring. "Hello again, Gunha." Sanger smiled at the boy. "Hmm...curious, you seem to have someone cheering for you. A friend, I take it?" Gunha meekly nodded. "Y-Yeah. My best friend..." He stepped forward slightly; even though there was doubt in those eyes, he refused to falter. Category:Claw and Fang Tales